Standard Lemma guide

homocysteine

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An amino acid which is monitored in the blood to estimate risk of cardiovascular disease.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

Examples

  • 1989, L. A. Smolin, N. A. Benevenga, Chapter 8: Methionine, Homocyst(e)ine, Cysteine—Metabolic Interrelationships, Mendel Friedman, Absorption and Utilization of Amino Acids, Volume 1, CRC Press, page 170, One possible explanation for the low plasma cystine in homocystinuric patients who are given sufficient dietary cystine is the high plasma concentration of the cysteine-homocysteine mixed disulfide.
  • 2000, Donald W. Jacobsen, 3. Biochemistry and Metabolism, Killian Robinson (editor), Homocysteine and Vascular Disease, Kluwer Academic, page 15, Homocysteine, a metabolite of the methionine cycle, is a strong independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
  • 2017, Himadri Panda, Handbook on Small & Medium Scale Industries (Biotechnology Products), Asia Pacific Business Press, page 224, The amino acids produced from L-methionine and substituted thiols were identified as the corresponding S-substituted homocysteines, e.g., 2-mercaptoethanol and cysteamine produced S-(β-hydroxyethyl) homocysteine and S-(β-aminoethyl) homocysteine, respectively.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From homo- + cysteine.

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: хомоцистеин (homocistein) — Translations